August: Osage County

Claws out.

In August: Osage County, Meryl Streep is a
pill-popping Tyrannosaurus rex in a black bouffant wig. Julia Roberts is
a weather-parched velociraptor in mom jeans. And when these
mother-daughter dinosaurs go at it, expect things to break: mostly
dinner plates, but also hearts, eardrums and any shred of goodwill that
survives in this seriously twisted family. Alongside all that
destruction, don’t be surprised if your patience breaks as well. This
screen adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play operates
at such a consistently high pitch that it numbs rather than blisters.
The film finds a family reunited in northern Oklahoma following the
death (it’s presumed a suicide, and we can hardly blame him) of Beverly
Weston, a hard-drinking poet. His wife, Violet (Streep), suffers from
mouth cancer, but that doesn’t stop her from spewing endless streams of
bilious invective at her three daughters. Letts’ play won raves for its
ability to imbue soap opera-style revelations with fiery humor, but John
Wells’ directorial hand is so weak that the film just plays as a
succession of histrionic showdowns. Streep exceeds even her own
stratospheric standards for scenery-chewing, purloining any sense of
surprise from her character. As the oldest daughter, Roberts fares
somewhat better, with a few moments so arrestingly aggressive you might
forgive what’s come before. But then another plate shatters and, with
it, any sense of charity. Critic’s Grade:C

SEE IT:August: Osage County is rated R. It opens Friday at Cedar Hills, Moreland, Lloyd Mall.